In the United States & other developed countries, the obstetrical patient has

	Well-trained physicians available
	Modern, well-equipped medical facilities
	Well-trained support staff
	This translates into excellent outcomes for the obstetrical patient

However, an unexpected obstetrical emergency may interfere with the outcome

Therefore:

	Physician must be prepared to provide best possible management of the unexpected
	Support staff must be prepared to react and intervene appropriately and promptly

Those body systems that experience major changes with a pregnancy are oftentimes the "source" of the emergency

	We'll briefly look at those changes
	We'll then look at a few selected obstetrical emergencies

While it would be "ideal" to cover all possible intrapartal emergencies, it is unrealistic and beyond the scope of this presentation